Building on the idea that intentional exposure to a weak strain of a virus can protect people from the virus,McAlister,Perry,and Maccoby (1980) applied ______ to help students to ______.

A) inoculation theory; resist social pressures to smoke
B) inoculation theory; improve their in-class conduct
C) cognitive dissonance theory; resist social pressures to smoke
D) cognitive dissonance theory; improve their in-class conduct

The application of inoculation theory suggests intentional exposure to a weak version of the pressure to smoke can help students resist actual social pressures to smoke. This aligns with the aim of inoculation theory, which proposes exposing individuals to weakened versions of persuasive arguments so that they are more resistant to actual persuasive messages. Option B is not a suitable answer because there is no clear connection between inoculation theory and improving in-class conduct. Option C is incorrect because cognitive dissonance theory proposes that individuals experience discomfort or dissonance due to conflicting thoughts, attitudes, or beliefs, and the theory does not suggest intentional exposure to weaken strain of information.